BYU is Adding Elite Speed at Wide Receiver

On Wednesday, BYU announced the eight returning missionaries that will join the program in time for the 2024 season. Two of the eight missionaries are wide

On Wednesday, BYU announced the eight returning missionaries that will join the program in time for the 2024 season. Two of the eight missionaries are wide receivers Cody Hagen and Dominique McKenzie. Dom is already home and enrolled. Cody will be home from his mission soon.

Those two will bring a new level of speed to the wide receivers that is not currently in the room: elite speed. Hagen and McKenzie are two of the fastest players to ever come out of the state of Utah. In high school, Hagen ran a 10.52 100M and Dominique ran a 10.60. Coach Sitake confirmed that Dom will play wide receiver. When he signed with BYU, he was announced as a WR/DB on signing day.

For context, Dom's twin brother Marcus, who became a star on special teams last year, ran a 10.54 in high school. Marcus was one of the fastest, if not the fastest, players on BYU’s roster and it showed. McKenzie was dynamic as a gunner on the punt team. In fact, he was so good that opposing teams tried to game plan against him. Still, Marcus overcame double teams and made an impact before his injury. Marcus is expected to compete for a starting spot at cornerback this year. The McKenzie's come from a legacy BYU family - their Father is former BYU great RB Brian McKenzie and their Mother Salote ran track at BYU. 

Credit: BYU Photo

Last year, BYU’s offense lacked a true deep threat. Opposing defenses, especially in games against TCU and Arkansas, didn’t respect the speed of BYU’s wide receivers and their ability to get over the top. That led to a lot of stacked boxes and hurt the running game. When BYU couldn’t test defenses downfield and they couldn’t run the ball, they struggled to sustain drives.

That’s not a knock on BYU’s wide receivers. Chase Robert’s has the potential to be a top 10 receiver in the conference. Darrius Lassiter was dynamic before suffering an injury. Kody Epps, when healthy, can get open against the best of the best. But none of those guys bring the speed that Hagen and McKenzie can provide. Once they shake the mission rust, they will bring a new threat to the offense.

Productive High School Careers

Some prospects are fast, but they struggle to bring their track speed onto the football field. That wasn’t the case for Cody Hagen and Dom McKenzie. Their production matched their physical capabilities in high school. They were two of the most productive receivers in the country.

Dominique, ranked fourth in the country in receiving yards as a junior with over 1,700 receiving yards. Dominique chose BYU over competing offers from the likes of Oregon, Arizona, Pitt, and Virginia among others.

Cody Hagen is one of the best wide receiver prospects to ever come out of the state of Utah. As a senior, Hagen racked up 1,805 receiving yards. That ranked fifth in the country. He had back-to-back 1,100 yard seasons at Corner Canyon. Hagen had over 1,100 yards receiving in 2020 as a junior.

There’s a reason why Cody Hagen was so coveted on the recruiting trail. He is very well-rounded as a wide receiver. He runs good routes, he is lightning fast, he is able to track deep balls in the air, he can get open in the red zone, and he is strong and tough to make contested catches over the middle. Hagen picked the Cougars over fellow finalists Utah, USC, Stanford, and Michigan. He also received offers from the likes of Oregon, Arizona, and Oregon State during his recruitment.

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